New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has prepared a proposal on Front-of-Pack (FoP) warning labels for packaged food products. This would be compulsory for packaged foods containing added sugar, fat and salt.
The proposed FoP label will be in pictorial form to enable consumers to readily identify products high in specified nutrients.
In a short six-page affidavit, submitted to the Supreme Court Friday, the FSSAI disclosed that the FoP label would be red-coloured hexagon shape and in a font size one-point larger than what is used in the nutrition information table on the back of the pack.
The affidavit comes a fortnight after a Supreme Court bench led by Justice JB Pardiwala pulled up the FSSAI for ignoring its advice to introduce interpretative FoP labels that clearly indicate the amount of sugar, salt or saturated fat in packaged foods.
Sensing the government’s reluctance to notify FoP, the bench had criticised the authority for succumbing to industry pressure.
The SC is hearing a PIL filed by Kerala-based non-profit organisation, 3S And our Health Society, which has sought mandatory FoP warning labels for foods high in fat, sugar and salt.
When ThePrint asked the NGO’s counsel Rajiv Shankar Dwivedi for his views on the affidavit, he said he is yet to study the document, but would do it soon to file a proper response in the court by Monday.
As per the FSSAI’s affidavit, the FoP would be exempted for single-ingredient food products, and those inherently rich in fat, sugar, or salt such as ghee, edible oil, salt, sugar, jaggery and honey.
But these products would be subject to other requirements under the food safety and labelling regulations.
The SC had on the last hearing also castigated the FSSAI for suggesting a complex nutrition table for packaged foods. This was a departure from its stand taken during a consultative process, favouring an interpretive label system.
The bench had said that colour-coded interpretive label is an assistive tool for consumers to make an informed decision about the food they would purchase and consume, while noting the dietary concerns.
Taking a cue from the court, the FSSAI affidavit submitted that the proposed FoP warning label would be simple, prominent and easily comprehensible to consumers regarding food which are high in specified nutrients of concern.
The FOP warning label in red-coloured hexagonal shape would be for food packets that are very high in any two or more of the following nutrients—added saturated fat, added sugar and salt.
This would be based on the thresholds specified under dietary guidelines for Indians issued by ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition in 2024.
Warning labels shall indicate applicable declarations such as High Fat, High Sugar, High Salt and or High Sweetened Beverage.
However, FoP, the affidavit said, would be implemented in two phases. This was to provide industry adequate time for reformulation without compromising on the citizen’s right to stay informed.
In Phase I. products that are high in two more specified nutrients – added fat and added sugar and salt and specified sweetened beverages—would implement it. The second phase would see FoP getting extended to products that are high in any one of these nutrients.
“The proposed approach is intended to address the need for an effective and consumer-friendly FoP labelling mechanism and to facilitate informed food choices, particularly in relation to children and other vulnerable groups of the population,” the affidavit submitted.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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